One of Britain’s top fee-paying schools is poised to help set up a state primary in one of Greater Manchester’s poorest areas.
The ground-breaking proposal would see a senior staff member from Manchester Grammar School drafted in to design a curriculum for the new school. It is understood that the £9,660-a-year MGS would also be involved in the running of the school, particularly in its early stages.
The primary would be built on the site of the former Cardroom Estate in east Manchester – an area which has had some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country.
The estate, in Ancoats, is being redeveloped as New Islington with new flats, houses and community facilities.
The school would be set up under a partnership between MGS, Manchester council and the East Manchester Academy. It would be non-selective and non fee-paying.
Council chiefs have continued to explore the idea, looking at a wide range of funding and schemes.
The M.E.N. understands that discussions with MGS – which reguarly sees high numbers of students go on to study at Oxford and Cambridge – began around six months-ago. Other groups involved, which include New Islington developer Urban Splash, are said to have agreed in principle to establishing a trust.
The project would need government approval.
Council leader Sir Richard Leese said: “This is something there are on-going discussions about between the parties and with government.
“The Labour group on the council has given the go-ahead for those discussions to take place.
“However, we are some way off a ‘done deal’ at the moment.
Eddie Smith, from regeneration company New East Manchester, which has led the area’s transformation, said: “A school has always been part of a long term ambition for New Islington.” MGS declined to comment.
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Sounds brilliant, hurry up will you, I want mine to go there.
"The Labour group on the council has given the go-ahead for those discussions to take place."
How magnanamous ..... perhaps Labour will lose their opposition and hatred towards private schools now .... unless of course they are sending their own children there !!
But that is different !!!
What's wrong with retaining the name of the original location as New Ancoats. Why be associated with a London Borough with so many negative aspects? This is so typical of this East Manchester / Man City FC consortium riding roughshod over all and sundry.
I sincerely hope that this plan is adopted and that it is an outstanding success. A good and sound education is a vehicle to move young people out of poverty and into a more prosperous lfe.
"The estate, in Ancoats, is being redeveloped as New Islington with new flats, houses and community facilities." And in no time at all will be the filthy, battered, crime-ridden hellhole it has always been. I was born there so feel entitled to have an opinion.
there is a new Islington in a rough part of Salfrod too, just off Chapel Street, It is a dump. makes me laugh how they think they will make ready for the 'clearances' of local people. By changing the name to that of one of the richest neighbourhoods in the country to tempt dumb yuppies into paying 150k for a former council flat with a lick of new paint.
NEW ISLINGTON!!!! MY EYE!!! This area is ancoats, shame on who ever thought it was a good idea to rid an area of it historic name, just another example of manchester whitewashing the past and getting rid of our culture, its gentrification gone mad!
New Islington ..Why that name ?...
Sounds like more patronizing behaviour from one of the big Independent schools trying to curry favour with the Government. What would MGS know about life in East Manchester? Zero! How much money are MGS going to contribute? Probably zero as well.